Depending on what you’re referring to, there are different answers. Theoretically, I could have found downloads for all of this stuff. Theoretically, I could have found legal downloads for all of this stuff. Free legal downloads? Maybe a track or two.

Oh – wait: no, it’s disc 1 of In Rainbows that was (not “is”) legally available for “whatever you want to pay” (which might have meant free), not disc 2. (FWIW, I d/l’d the first disc – paid I think $5 on the grounds that the music’s worth that much at least, but no more thinking that I just might possibly have sprung for the big ol’ box of both discs, including LPs, and artwork, etc.).

More generally, though: why would I pay more for what I could get for less? Because it’s not the same thing you’re getting, basically. Some of those titles might have been d/l-able from eMusic…but not at full resolution, and not with the packaging. I’m not so old-school as to prefer LPs to CDs because of the big package…but I do think the artwork & info is an important part of an album, and some CDs suffer from lack of same if only the songs are downloaded.

I found out about the Damon & Naomi album late too and was kind of surprised that it was so unpublicized. Then again, I don’t like it much at all (and I’m relatively fond of the band, though I think they peaked on their debut) so maybe the lack of publicity wasn’t a fluke.

I didn’t understand that there were non-downloadable versions of In Rainbows. As one of the last CD buyers alive I understand the tangible aspect of a real CD and the hope that some of that money gets to the artists. It’s the buying of a CD-R bootleg I have an ethical problem with.

I even have qualms with used CDs because I had my entire collection stolen once and feel that buying used CDs feeds that market.

Sure…but if selling used CDs were illegal, it’d feed it more – because the price and potential profits would be higher (see: drug war; failure thereof). Anyway: if you really want to support a band, in addition to buying their CDs, buy their t-shirts, go to their shows…because standard contracts pay artists last of everyone on CD sales. Actually, where possible, I try to buy CDs directly from the band – that helps somewhat too.

In the case of my buying the disc 2 CD-R (which in all likelihood is a bootleg), I guess I feel pretty guiltless because (a) I don’t know for a fact that it’s a bootleg…for all I know this is yet another wrinkle in Yorke et al.’s clever marketing plan; (b) the band isn’t starving – they’ve made more on this release than on their entire catalog on EMI, simply because any profit goes to them directly, and (c) I kinda think the legit way to get disc 2 – to buy the megahuge 80-buck package – is a bit excessive, and I guess I feel like I’m using the market to demonstrate the need for a middle-priced alternative to that set. (I could argue that at least I’m supporting an indie record store,too – rather than just looking online for disc 2…which I’m sure I could have found readily enough. Radiohead are no fools, also – I think they’re aware that such things happen, and most likely the big box is collector-bait, the sort of thing that presumably might actually increase in value over the years due to rarity.)